The desire to have the hair retain a particular style or shape is widely held. The most common methodology for accomplishing this is by spraying a composition, typically from a mechanical pump spray device or from a pressurized aerosol canister, to the hair. Other means of providing style or shaping to the hair are mousses, gels, lotions and the like. Such compositions provide temporary setting benefits and can usually be removed by water or by shampooing. The materials used in these types of hair styling compositions are generally resins, gums, and adhesive polymers which are capable of imparting style or shape to the hair. Many of these products also contain lower alcohols in order to obtain good films of the polymer in a short period of time.
Many people desire a high level of style retention, or hold, from a styling product. Unfortunately, most current hair styling products having good hold characteristics suffer from the disadvantages of being either too stiff, not smooth or too sticky upon drying Stiff compositions tend to be brittle and break down under common stresses such as wind, brushing, combing. Stiff compositions also tend to feel and look unnatural. Sticky compositions overcome many of the foregoing disadvantages of stiff compositions, because sticky compositions tend to be more forgiving, i.e., flexible, under stress and allow for restyling of the hair. However, sticky compositions have the disadvantage of leaving the hair with a heavy, coated feel and with a limp and unattractive appearance. Also, sticky compositions cause the hair to quickly become soiled from common contaminant sources such as dust, dirt, lint, sebum, etc.
One approach to minimizing stiffness and roughness of a hair styling composition is the incorporation of silicones, including silicone emulsions and microemulsions, in such compositions. Silicones tend to provide a desirably smooth or soft hair feel. Unfortunately, silicone emulsions tend to be difficult to formulate in hair styling compositions. Hair styling compositions tend to be complex, requiring a number of ingredients for different purposes, with potential for incompatibilities. For example, silicone emulsions tend to be unstable in compositions containing lower alcohols, resulting in phase separation of the composition. Other incompatibilities in the system, e.g., polymer-polymer or polymer-surfactant interactions, can also result in phase separation. This phase separation is not only undesirable for visual esthetic reasons, but for performance reasons as well. When the product phase separates, hold and/or hair feel properties of the product tend to be negatively impacted.
Therefore, a need exists for hair styling compositions providing good style retention without the disadvantages of stiff or sticky compositions. There is a particular need for hair styling compositions containing lower alcohols providing good style retention without the disadvantages of stiff or sticky compositions.
Surprisingly, the present invention provides hair styling compositions having good style retention without being stiff or sticky. The resulting hair styles obtained from using these compositions hold up well under the common stress conditions and other factors as mentioned above. Importantly, such compositions provide the benefit of allowing the user to restyle the hair without the need for reapplication of styling product. The styling compositions of the present invention leave the hair both feeling and looking natural. Also, these products do not have the disadvantage of causing the hair to quickly resoil.
It has been found in the present invention that compositions having certain properties, as defined by a Stiffness Value (SV) and a Curl Retention Index (CRI), are particularly useful for providing strong hold in combination with good hair feel. The hair styling compositions, when dried, exhibit a Stiffness Value (SV) and a Curl Retention Index (CRI) wherein the SV is at least equal to [(0.703.times.CRI)-0.425)]. The compositions of the present invention provide the recited benefits by utilizing a hair styling polymer. Compositions of this type are provided even where the composition contains relatively high levels of lower alcohols.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide hair styling compositions that provide good style retention without unacceptable stiffness or stickiness. Another object of this invention is to provide hair styling compositions that both look and feel natural.
It is another object of this invention to provide hair styling compositions containing silicone microemulsions, especially compositions which also contain lower alcohol.
It is another object of this invention to provide methods for styling and holding hair.
These and other objects will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.